Always the Bridesmaid

Here's a picture of me with my Coach Andy. Andy is on the right and we are obviously in the middle of demonstrating a technique to a class and it looks like I am not very happy with his opinion!

Andy and I have been working together for nearly twenty years now and it's always good to run through lessons together. I sometimes make a joke out of the fact that I am always the one who has to get hit but then he's the chap who taught me all I know so I'm not complaining really. When we work a lesson through even though I am the 'stooge' it gives me an opportunity to practice my lunging or various other techniques and I always look to hit him in the same place every time for two reasons; one, because it improves my accuracy and two, because it allows him to make the technique look as good as possible. Students tend to mimic what they see so it is vital to ensure the demonstration is as accurate and neat as possible. So I'm happy to be taking the hit to further the cause of good fencing!